There's only one thing Sylvia wants in her life but at the rate she's going, she'll lose her chance before she realizes it's there before her. When love is forced to take a back seat to duty, there's no telling what might happen.
Aubrey crossed his arms over his chest, then
straightened them and leaned against the fence’s toprail, next to Sylvia. He
appeared to have something on his mind. He casually covered her small hand with
his larger, callused one, then stared at their joined hands, a wistful
expression on his face. “Am I expected to prove my worthiness, like one of
those knights?” he asked, half joking.
“You have nothing to prove to me, Aubrey.” Sylvia
stretched her fingers then curled them down so they fit snuggly between his.
Aubrey was everything Sylvia could ever want in a man. His thick hair shone
blue-black in the sunlight. His brown eyes were so dark they could pass for
black. They hid a wealth of emotion. Aubrey was powerfully built, due to his
work at the forge, blacksmithing and making swords. He was well known for the
quality of the weapons he forged and often sought after for his skills. More
than anything, he was a man comfortable with who and what he was. One day, he
would make some woman very happy.
“Don’t I?” he asked in return, a look of doubt in his
eyes.
“Sylvia! I need you here, right now.” A voice called from behind them.
The shrillness of it set Sylvia’s teeth on edge. She
glanced behind her at one of the merchant booths, then turned back and leaned
her forehead against the nearby toprail. She mumbled something under her
breath, then glanced back again and nodded to her mother, carefully keeping her
features blank. Sylvia turned to Aubrey. “Wish I lived in a time when people
deemed me smart enough to run my own life and make my own choices.”
“Sylvia, you’re twenty-seven. How can you let her do
that to you?”
“Control my life? Easy, when she has the means to
manipulate everything and everyone around me. She chases away anyone she
doesn’t like. That usually adds up to everyone.”
“She doesn’t manipulate me,” Aubrey replied.
“Oh no, of course she doesn’t,” she replied with
sarcasm. “She can’t because you never come around anymore.”
“You’ve been too busy helping her, running her
business. You don’t have time for anyone or anything else.” Aubrey glanced at
Sylvia’s mother and caught her glare.
“Same thing.”
“Not really,” he replied, turning his attention back
to Sylvia. “You’re not a little girl
anymore, Sylvie. You don’t need someone to give you permission to do anything.”
He raised her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her fingers. “You have some hard choices to make, and
you’d better make up your mind soon as to what you want, before you lose out.”
Aubrey gave her a moment to let his words sink in,
then backed away from her and headed toward the blacksmith’s forge.
“Is that a threat?” she called after him, when she
finally found her voice.
Aubrey turned to her but continued walking backward
toward his forge. “No threat. Just a statement of fact. No one will wait
forever while you try to decide what you want to do.” He turned away again, but
not before she caught a flicker of disappointment in his features.
Sylvia studied the play of muscles across his back,
the way his t-shirt stretched when he flexed his broad shoulders. There was a
sadness in her eyes. He was right. If she didn’t break free of her mother’s
iron-fisted control, she’d lose the best thing in her life--if she hadn’t all
ready. She’d heard the rumors. Aubrey wasn’t sitting home every night. There
were any number of women who would gladly take her place and claim him for
their own.
“Sylvia!” The
call came again, more shrill and insistent this time.
“Yes, Mom, I’m coming.” Sylvia cast one more look in
Aubrey’s direction and saw him talking with Kendra. A smile lit his rugged
features, while he pumped the bellows at the forge. He was showing off for her,
and Sylvia knew he was also driving home a point. One day, she promised
herself, she’d have what she wanted most--a home of her own, a family, and the
love of a good husband. The problem was, it might already be too late for her
and Aubrey. She released a sigh, believing dreams never came true--at least not
for her--and headed back to work. “What is it, Mom?”
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